Part of the goal of this trip is to reconnect with my inner-child. While sitting outside in the outskirts of Moscow, in a place called Kaluga Oblast, I heard someone yell, “Alyonka!”. There are a few homes here maybe 8 or so, + not much else for miles. Then I heard a response, “I’m here!” + it didn’t come from me. Suddenly a 6-year old appears. Alyonka. A mirror for me.
At first she was shy. Then she took me on a tour of her dacha. We fed her cow. Chatted with the roosters. Picked apples. Found the nut tree. She took me to the garden, then to her Secret Garden, + then we did cartwheels. She takes ballet so she’s much more graceful than me, nailing pose after pose. She is fearless. She is brave. She is creative.
Then she asked, “do you want some berries?” Sure, I said. We walked up to a small tree + she picked some for me. “Here. Try these. They’re a bit sour.” We tried. We chewed. We puckered our mouths. Scrunched our faces. We laughed. Your tongue is berried, I said. “So is yours + your teeth.”
It was enough. That was enough. There need not be anything more than just being; exploring together, laughing at one another, sharing experiences without motive, reason or a sense of getting there. We just were. Here. Right now. Two Alyonka’s. One 6. The other 31. From different parts of the world. In different stages of life. Yet we found ourselves much more similar than different.
Mirrors. They’re all around us. Showing up as people, or places, or thoughts, or ideas. Through relationships + encounters + experiences. Take notice of what Shows Up for you. Most often it’s mirroring an inner part of you that’s been long forgotten or is still in need of work + healing.
Curious to see which Mirrors reflect what next 🕵🏼♀️
